Hong kong city hall

The pro-democracy protestors are hoping to win support from international visitors. HONG KONG: Hundreds of pro-democracy activists, some wearing face masks and helmets, staged a sit-in at Hong Kong's airport on Friday hoping to win support from international visitors for their movement."No rioters, only tyranny," the demonstrators chanted as they began a three-day action -- the latest in a string of protests that have rocked the international financial hub for more than two months. Activists, some dressed in the movement's signature black, sat on the floor in the airport's arrivals hall and held up signs in Chinese and English condemning police violence. "Save Hong Kong from tyranny and police brutality!" read one sign on a piece of cardboard. "Ask me about Hong Kong" read signs in different languages attached to the sleeves of some of the approximately 1,000 people participating. "We want to let more people know about what's happening in Hong Kong," said one protester, … [Read more...] about Hong Kong protesters stage airport rally to win visitor support

HONG KONG - Seething unrest in Hong Kong is taking on a more stridently anti-Chinese tone, with the target of public anger shifting from the city's leaders to direct symbols of Beijing's rule and the huge influx of mainlanders. The chants directed at Beijing's egg-splattered Liason Office on Sunday night were a vivid rebuke to China as the semi-autonomous finance hub entered its seventh straight week of anti-government protests that show no sign of abating. "Reclaim Hong Kong, the revolution of our time," the crowds shouted, spraying the same slogan on nearby walls. The phrase was the campaign slogan of Edward Leung, a leading pro-independence activist currently in jail for rioting. "He proposed the idea of a Hong Kong nation. That Hong Kong people belong to the same ethnic group, and that has brought together Hong Kong people's inward forces," a 29-year-old man surnamed Cheng told AFP after the Liason Office protest moved into nearby streets on Sunday night. "He is a kind of a … [Read more...] about Hong Kong protest anger targets symbols of China’s rule

Thousands of Hong Kongers, including flight attendants, held a rally in the airport's arrivals hall on Friday to "educate" visitors about the demonstrations currently gripping the international finance hub as it braces for another weekend of protests. The cavernous hall is usually filled with excited friends and relatives waiting to greet loved ones as they make their way out of one of the world's busiest airports. But on Friday visitors were greeted by a sea of black-clad protesters chanting anti-government slogans, holding banners and handing out flyers -- the information desk plastered in a tapestry of colourful sticky notes. The rally is the latest bid to keep pressure on Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leaders after seven weeks of largely peaceful mass demonstrations followed by violent clashes, an unprecedented challenge to Beijing's authority since the city's 1997 handover. The protests were triggered by a controversial bill which would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but … [Read more...] about Hong Kong protesters rally at airport to ‘educate’ visitors

HONG KONG: More than 1,000 protesters calling for democracy and some chanting “free Hong Kong” converged on the Chinese-ruled city’s airport on Friday as Singapore advised its travellers to avoid protest areas in the territory. Hong Kong airport authorities said operations wouldn’t be affected, but advised passengers to arrive early given the risk of disruption. The former British colony, which returned to China in 1997, is embroiled in its worst political crisis for decades after two months of increasingly violent protests that have posed one of the gravest populist challenges to Communist Party rulers in Beijing. The demonstrations, mushrooming up almost daily, saw the defacement of China’s main representative office last weekend, triggering warnings from Beijing this was an attack on China’s sovereignty. More protests are expected on Saturday with demonstrators outraged at an attack on Sunday at a train station by armed men who police sources say … [Read more...] about Protesters calling for “free Hong Kong” converge on airport

A protester daubs black paint over the Hong Kong emblem in parliament after protesters broke into the government headquarters HONG KONG - It started with an attempt Monday by hundreds of protesters to force a street vendor's trolley through the glass frontage of Hong Kong's parliament building.In the locked interior of the lobby, dozens of police officers in full riot gear held the line for hours -- their colleagues occasionally dousing the protesters from above with pepper spray.Time after time, the protesters attempted to ram the trolley through the entrance. It would give just a bit, the glass showing spider-web cracks.The scene played out all day on television and social media -- on the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to Beijing -- and TV also showed chief executive Carrie Lam earlier raising a glass of champagne as her colleagues sang the Chinese national anthem at a ceremony to mark the historic occasion.Hours later, protesters had taken complete control of … [Read more...] about Chaos as Hong Kong protesters take over parliament